Rain, snow forecast for drought-suffering California

Meteorologists forecast that two storms could drop several centimeters of rain on parched cities and farmlands throughout California in the coming week, bringing welcome news to a state that has endured its driest year in recorded history.While the rain will not be enough to end the drought, the National Weather Service (NWS) projected that the much-needed precipitation could nearly double the amount of rainfall in parts of Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area this year.By next Saturday, the two Pacific storms are expected to bring as much as 5 centimeters of rain to the coast and at least 1 meter of snow to the Sierra Nevada mountains at elevations above 1,370 meters.“We’re not calling it a drought-buster, but it definitely will make a difference,” said NWS meteorologist Jim Bagnall. “With these few storms, we could see about an inch (2.5 centimeters) total in the [San Joaquin] Valley. So this could obviously have some significant impact.”The wet weather is desperately needed. Since July 1, only 14.6 centimeters of rain has fallen in San Francisco, or about 35 percent of normal for this time of year. Only 3 centimeters has fallen in downtown Los Angeles, compared to 26.1 centimeters in a normal year.Looking farther into the future, meteorologists are hopeful that computer models are correct in predicting greater chances that this year could see El Nino conditions in the Pacific Ocean and its accompanying rainfall.Scientists say El Nino conditions do not guarantee that California will get intense rainfall, but if the pattern is strong and temperatures are warm in the ocean, the likelihood of heavy rainfall increases.